An abstract of J. S. Palmer's essay on "The Danger of Introducing
Noxious Animals and Birds" appears in _Our Animal Friends_. There are
several societies in this country for the express purpose of purchasing
and importing European birds. One society in Cincinnati has contributed
$9,000 to this object, and other cities have raised considerable sums.
Our contemporary thinks it would be well that all such experiments
should be made under the sanction of government experts of the
Department or Agriculture. In addition to voluntary importations,
it often happens that animals are unintentionally brought into the
country, as trading-vessels have carried the European house mouse
all over the globe, and the introduction of rabbits into Australia
is perhaps the most striking example of the dangers of unconsidered
importations. They were introduced for purposes of sport, and were
liberated near Melbourne in 1864. Within twelve years they had spread
over the country and become a veritable plague, and millions of
dollars have been spent for bounties, poisons, and other methods of
destruction. Thousands of miles of rabbit-proof fences have been built,
and in 1887 no less than 19,182,539 rabbits were destroyed in New South
Wales alone, and the rabbits seem to be on the increase. The little
Indian mongoose was imported into Jamaica to cope with a plague of
rats and proved most effective, but after it had destroyed the rats it
turned its attention to the domestic animals and poultry, so that the
islanders would now be glad if they could get rid of the pests. Such
are a few examples of the danger of disturbing nature's balance.